LAHORE - President, Lahore High Court Bar Association, Anwar Kamal has said that lawyers are struggling to bring the masses out of that mindset wherein the rich and ruling class continue securing their own interest while keeping them in a slumber. Addressing Issue of the Day on the topic, 'Lawyers Movement: Its causes, impact and politicians' attitude' under the auspices of Nawa-i-Waqt, The Nation and Waqt News TV at the Hameed Nizami Hall here on Saturday, Kamal expressed the hope that their movement for being on principles and just, is bound to succeed. He said with the passage of time it was getting popular as the people were acknowledging the value of rule of law and independent judiciary for the larger interests of the people as well as the whole system. The Bar president said the same class of people in the form of Jagidars and vederas has still been ruling us after it remained faithful to the interests of Britishers before partition. Instead of raising itself economically on entrepreneurship, he said, this class has fortified itself on the public money by way of heavy loans and other means and keeping the masses suppressed and opening them to the mental slavery and a constant sense of subordination. He said the lawyers movement aims at emancipation of the masses from this mindset and give them awareness of their potential and enable them to fight for their Constitutional and legal rights whose protection rests on an independent and bold judiciary. Lawyers wanted to create a culture to enable the nation examine the mistakes and to rectify them screwing up its energy and potential, he said referring to the 1971 debacle in the context that the nation had failed to check the way of military rule despite the fact we lost half of the country in that great tragedy. He said the real source of power was the army until now. He said today the masses are without education, health, food and other facilities of life while the rulers in this system are constantly growing without any will to provide for them. It is not the parliament but those sitting therein lack will to do good for the masses, he said adding, now the people are looking for the answer to the questions which relate to their miseries and ill condition and want to translate that answer into practice. Anwar Kamal said departing from the past tradition with Judiciary to always endorse action of the military dictatorship, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary stood up before a general and provided basis for the current lawyers struggle. He said lawyers are holding on to a just and principled stand that is independent judiciary and rule of law in the country and added, when the cause is just and noble, number of participants does not matter. He said the people attend to even a single man provided he stands on the truth and right. The same is the situation with the movement as middle class of the country is gradually understanding its cause and coming out to share their efforts of the lawyers to change that gernali and jagidari mind which is arbitrary and loathe to give rights to the people and see the rule of law not applicable to it. This mindset has also served for the others, he said adding, they always protected the monetary interests of the international capitalists by framing law in their support. He said at present America was heading that system and we also have to pull the masses out of that financial slavery of the others. He said it may be the rulers but not the people so helpless as not to get rid of IMF and American policies towards this country and the only condition, is mental emancipation of the people. He said resources are there but they are not for the common man but for the power wielders. Lawyers' movement, he said, has to guide the masses to seek their lawful rights. Underscoring the need of an independent judiciary, he said, it was also vital to maintain a balance between other organs of the state as well as to protect rights of the 98 per cent have-nots from the two per cent ruling class. An independent judiciary, he said, can ensure it through a strict system of accountability wherein law acts indiscriminately on the high and the low. He said had the rule of law been there people would not have committed suicides today. In the context how the powerful are helpful to each others, Kamal said when Musharraf came to power he tried to eliminate his political opponents through National Bureau of Accountability and stayed in power and brought National Reconciliation Ordinance in order to leave power without any harm. He said the movement aims at changing this practice adding there were cent per cent sure of its success as in the same lay survival and progress of the country. Responding to a question on the sit-in of the lawyers at the end of long march on March 9, he said the Steering Committee of the lawyers, would finalise its programme and arrangements in a meeting on February 6 next.